Author Guidelines
NOTE: Calidris Literary Agency does not charge a reading fee.
Submission Guidelines
First, a point on the etiquette of multiple submissions.
Please note that it is perfectly acceptable to make multiple submissions to agents and publishers, but as a matter of courtesy you should state this at the outset. Also please understand that I am a sole agent and I may spend several days reading a manuscript and making notes of queries and suggestions. If I then offer representation only to find that the author has signed with another agent I have completely wasted my time and I am upset and unhappy, not to mention disappointed.
An example: an interesting (and publishable) non-fiction manuscript came to me with an ‘urgent’ note from the author. When I asked if he’d submitted to other agents he said yes but we then agreed (at least I thought we agreed) that in exchange for a quick response by a mutually agreed deadline, I would have first option. Two days before that deadline he emailed to say he’d accepted an offer from another agent. Well, it’s a small world. I know that agent so I contacted her to tell her what had happened. The author had not told her that he’d sent his work to other agents so we were both deeply unimpressed.
To ensure that your work will be of interest to the agency, please send a preliminary email before submitting your manuscript. Note: the contact form cannot take attachments. Please do not include sample chapters on this form.
Calidris does not accept sci-fi, speculative fiction, fantasy, children’s books, screenplays or poetry.
Submissions by email only and please include the following:
• First three chapters only and a one-page synopsis (MS Word doc, not PDF). Name the file with the title of your work.
• A Table of Contents (for non-fiction)
• Market analysis including target readership and list of competing or comparable titles, if applicable
• Relevant biographical details including any previous publications
• All pages should be numbered
• N.B. Please state whether your manuscript has been submitted to other agents or is currently under consideration by a publisher. (See above note on multiple submissions)
• If the manuscript has been professionally assessed please include a copy of the report.
All submissions are acknowledged via email on receipt and an estimate of response time given.